East West Players (EWP), the nation's premiere Asian American theater, announces its 45th Anniversary Season, running from September 2010 to June 2011. This season, themed "Shake It Up" includes MYSTERIOUS SKIN by Prince Gomolvilas based on the novel by Scott Heim, CRIMES OF THE HEART by Beth Henley, WRINKLES by Paul Kikuchi, and KRUNK FU BATTLE BATTLE with book by Qui Nguyen, lyrics by Beau Sia and vocal music by Marc Macalintal.
MYSTERIOUS SKIN: This drama follows the story of a boy who believes he was once abducted by aliens. All roads lead back to a childhood classmate, now a hustler, who holds the key to the truth. This production is for mature audiences only. It is written by Prince Gomolvilas, based on the novel by Scott Heim, and is directed by Tim Dang. MYSTERIOUS SKIN will run September 9 - October 10, 2010.
Prince Gomolvilas's plays include BIG HUNK O' BURNIN' LOVE and THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, which received their world premieres at East West Players. He received the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Drama and Julie Harris/Janet and Maxwell Salter Playwright Award among other accolades. He teaches in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California and in the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute at EWP.
CRIMES OF THE HEART: Meet three delightfully dysfunctional sisters: Babe has just shot her husband, Meg is fresh from the loony bin, and Lenny celebrates her birthday alone by sticking a candle in a cookie. This Southern classic gets a unique Asian American twist in a night of laughter and tears. It is written by Beth Henley and is directed by Leslie Ishii. CRIMES OF THE HEART will run November 4 - December 5, 2010.
Beth Henley was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play for CRIMES OF THE HEART. Beth wrote the screenplay for the film version of CRIMES OF THE HEART, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Ms. Henley is the Presidential Professor of Theatre Arts at LMU/LA.
WRINKLES: Unbeknownst to his daughter and grandson, 73 year-old Nisei Harry Fukutani is an internet sensation. But to view his work, one has to turn off the parental filter and have a valid credit card. The sticky comedy about sex, lies, and Tiger Balm is written by Paul Kikuchi and directed by Jeff Liu. WRINKLES will run February 10 - March 13, 2011. The world premiere of this play was developed in the EWP David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. Generous support for this production is provided by the S. Mark Taper Foundation Endowment for East West Players.
Born and raised in Pasadena, California, playwright/screenwriter/substitute teacher Paul Kikuchi is a third generation Japanese American. He attended UC Santa Barbara where he received a BA in English literature. His first play, IXNAY, had its world premiere at East West Players in 2009.
KRUNK FU BATTLE BATTLE: Under the guidance of Sir Master Cert, young Norman Lee battles the baddest b-boy crew at Sunset Park High for respect, honor, and the heart of sweet Cindy Chang. The hip-hop musical is written by by Qui Nguyen with lyrics by Beau Sia and vocal music by Marc Macalintal; it is directed by Tim Dang. KRUNK FU BATTLE BATTLE will run May 12 - June 26, 2011. Generous support for this production is provided by the S. Mark Taper Foundation Endowment for East West Players.
Originally from Arkansas, Qui Nguyen is a Brooklyn-based Writer and Fight Director. As Co-Artistic Director/Co-founder of Vampire Cowboys productions in NY, his scripts include the critically acclaimed SOUL SAMURAI and FIGHT GIRL WORLD BATTLE. Qui is a member of New Dramatists, a co-director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, an alumnus of Youngblood, and the stage combat instructor for Columbia University.
Beau Sia is a Chinese-American poet from Oklahoma City. Beau has been featured in the award-winning film Slam and the documentary Slam Nation. As an author, Beau wrote the poetry book, A Night Without Armor II: The Revenge. His one man show, Fish Out of Water won the 2004 Jury Prize for Best Alternative Show at the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
